Coronary
by A Bit
Summary: After the epic Homecoming disaster, one villain, Lily is left to face the consequences. On the road to reformation, a last opportunity for evil grandeur opens. Will she take it?
1. Prologue

**Prologue.**

_"__the__ girl who made all this possible, Gwen Grayson."_

Gwen turned her head to the four behind her and shot us an innocent smile. As she walked by she squeezed my shoulder and then made her way through the sea of students to the stage. It would only be a matter of minutes now. I turned around to see my co-conspirers Penny was talking to herself and Lash as quietly conversing with Speed. I wondered if they were as nervous as I was. Naturally, we all had our reasons but I felt sick with anticipation, I was practically shaking.

I'm not normally as nervous and twitchy as I am now, but with the execution of our plans coming up in about four minutes I was getting pretty shaken. If this worked, well of course it would work. _When_ it worked, well, I would never have to feel like this ever again that's for sure. I would have thirty sidekicks at my bidding. Anything and everything would be possible. The Maxville Metropolis would be my effing oyster.

I sighed, at least everyone else would get to be a part of the action, fighting and sealing the exits and what not but I would just go get comfortable in my little corner.

_"...__the Commander and __Jetstream__And to mark this occasion,__we've planned a special tribute__to the most powerful super-being__ever to walk the halls of Sky High.__ M__e!__"_

Showtime Baby.

We were already towards the back end of the gym. Lash, Speed, and Penny hurried out to seal the gates and I pranced my way over to a table in the corner humming maliciously, if one can do such a thing. I grabbed two cups full of spiked punch on the way and plopped myself in the seat. I opened up my clutch purse and took out a small prescription bottle. Inside were two pills that Gwen had made and then snuck out Medulla's lab. They were supposed to help me because they didn't really let me practice my powers at school, I mean I would have to practice on people and most don't like me toying with their emotions. So my range wouldn't be very long since there were so many people in the gym, I could pretty much only affect the people in the gym, even with the pills. I was also pretty limited in what I could do, it took more effort to calm people which is ha the original plan was. It would be too easy to haul away comatose babies, but I just did chaos and pandemonium better so we would settle for that. I'm like fucking Pandora, about to open my box of treasures.

Then it began.

* * *

I can't really tell you much about it because I was pretty high at the time, but I was gaining lucidity by the time the found me under the streamers and balloons in the dark corner of the gym. I was sitting in my black and burgundy dress all by lonesome sipping punch when the commander an jetstream walked up to me. 

Jetstream placed a hand on the Commanders arm and approached me, I guess she thought I was just a shaken up student or something.

"Hello dear, are you alright?" she asked, and flashed me her best evil-ridding smile.

I played with my hands in my lap, "not really, no."

Jetstream took the seat to my right and placed her hand over my own an then spoke to me in a compassionate voice, "it's okay. Even the best of us get shaken up at times but the important thing is everyone is safe now. If you'd like to go home there are busses waiting now that everyone is de-pacified and you really shouldn't be in the gymnasium right now, we need to check for traps tonight."

"There won't be any."

"Won't be any what dear?" she asked, clearly puzzled.

"Traps." I replied in my best that-was-ridiculously-obvious-you-are-an-idiot voice.

She was startled by my response and turned to shoot her partner in heroics a significant look. The commander unfolded his arms and came over to the table.

"And how do you know that dear?" he questioned in a tight voice.

"Uh.. because I asked?"

"Asked who?"

"Gwen! I asked her. I mean I was on the bloody committee not that it would have mattered if I was or not because she could have installed the 'Royal Pain' signs by herself and in her effing sleep but I mean I didn't mind the putting in the time you know? Seriously," I leaned into the Jetstream and gestured with my hand, effectively spilling a half-empty glass of punch onto her lap, "I never wanted to say but that sign was the ugliest effing thing I have ever seen! I mean she's using the same design from like 19-whenever, but it's like old lady signage you know? I mean, I know she is an old lady but she looks like she's 18 right now, and she has to maintain that image." I paused. Had I just told them...

"Did I just tell you all that?" I covered my mouth with my hands, "oops! But I guess if you guys won and everything you would have gotten it out me eventually, but this is a waste of perfectly good time to practise my evil monologue!" I whined.

"Oh well, I don't even care because I am so happy right now. I took these great pills, and now I am like _SO HIGH._" And with that I burst into maniacal laughter. Looking back it definitely wasn't my most dignifying moment.

* * *

**AN: Okay so that was effectively it. What do you think? Are you interested in a story from an OC villain's perspective of the fallout of homecoming? Are you interested in a story that is a ****noship**** - because I promise you this OC will have no romantic relationships with any character in this ****story.****Also, this story will have swearing in it, frequently, would that be a problem? ****R&R please!**


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1.**

On Monday when the other kids were boarding the Ron Wilson express to go to school; I was being shackled and taken to the Agency of Super-Powered Individuals, or ASPI for short. I don't know what they thought they could accomplish at the time, but I remember thinking that they were a bunch of morons. Seriously, having an empath go through a polygraph test was about as useful as trying to get blood from a stone. But I wasn't complaining, just criticizing.

Last week, on Friday my friends and I had put together what was supposed to be the crowning achievement of months of hard work. Gwen had planned and orchestrated it all for us, all we had to do was help. If we helped her, she said, then we would be rewarded. Once she had established her school she put us in charge of all the villain children. It would be like having our own personal army, like being generals, and Gwen was the commander in chief.

The idea definitely appealed to me, I mean, I was first generation. I never knew what was happening to me when I got my powers, my parents had thought I was going crazy and they sent me to an asylum where Principal Powers found me. Having my own army, well it would give me chance to prove what crazy kids could do. It was my revenge, that's why we were all in it really, revenge. Speed wanted to get back kids who had called him fat, Lash wanted to get back at people who made fun of his powers, Penny wanted to get back at kids who forced her to make her own friends, literally speaking. And all we would have to do for it was lock a few gates. Easy.

The best soldiers are the ones that have nothing to lose.

Besides, there was quite the contingent of willing recruits for Gwen's plan. Not just because we were all power crazy teenagers with God delusions then, but also because we felt entitled to the superiority of our DNA, not just over civilians but over sidekicks as well. It was a common sentiment amongst the seniors of the hero track that it wouldn't hurt to teach those losers with lame powers – or even worse, high horse pricks who didn't like to offensively use their powers – some respect for their betters.

We were looking for a power-trip really.

And trip we did. None of us ever really considered the possibility that Gwen could fail, at least not aloud anyways. I knew that Speed, Lash, and Penny had gone down fighting to the sophomore sidekicks, and that our sympathisers in the hero track had done their part by not helping to fight back in the gymnasium. I had fought in my own way. Gwen had snuck me some drugs from Medulla's lab – power enhancers I think – so that I would be all jacked up. And all I did was sit in the corner of the gym by the food tables and make sure everyone was in histrionics. It would have done no good to her plan if the students and teachers had banded together to take down Gwen, if I kept them panicked that wouldn't have happened.

And that was how the authorities found me, when they were scouring the school for her minions I was just sitting there in a drug induced trance. They slapped me with a neutralizer and sent me the Maxville Detention Center for Supers, I think they meant to put the fear of the law in me. That was how I spent my homecoming weekend, but in my opinion it was the better alternative to spending the weekend getting felt up by some guy an then puking my brains out from the hangover. At least I had established myself, what I was aiming for, my agenda. Establishment was the hardest part of a super villain's career according to Gwen, and my history teacher– getting people to remember your name. I had established myself by the age of eighteen, I was ahead of my game.

That brings back to where I am now, on the bus out of the detention center to ASPI for a polygraph test. They were going to question me about my involvement in Gwen's plans for the fifth time, I don't know what they hoped they were going to find out but it wasn't going to be much. To prevent people from lying they had an empathy sit the test with you and make you feel all warm and fuzzy about spilling your guts, that would be damn near useless against me since they had to take of the neutralizer to hook me up to the polygraph. I was an empath, and could therefore block out the other empathy and cheat the polygraph. Like I said before, they people at ASPI were idiots.

I didn't plan on telling them a damn thing. Not that I could even if I wanted to, I had no idea where Gwen fled too when she escaped their custody on Sunday morning, but I had a vague idea. Call me Bellatrix Lestrange, but I knew where my loyalties lie and that I would be rewarded for my silence when the time came.

I had already decided how to go about this, I wouldn't act repentant but I wouldn't flaunt my disdain for heroics in their face either. I knew that I was getting off lightly – as opposed to the prison sentence that Speed, Lash, and Penny had already received – because they knew I hadn't fought against the students or staff, my perfect rack record of no tardies and straight A grades probably played a factor too. Besides, I wouldn't put it past them to let me run loose to see if I would lead them to Gwen, I was sure that was a part of it somehow.

The bus that I was being transported on came to a sharp stop as it landed on the floating precipice that was ASPI. I was sitting in the back of the bus separated by a wire wall from the driver and the guard. There were no seatbelts for criminals so my body flew forward and my face smacked against the backrest of the seat in front of me. Shit, my lip was cut. The guard came to unlock the door adn pulled me up and out of the bus, he snickered as he took in bleeding lip. What an asshole.

ASPI looked a lot like Sky High from the outside, except more sky scaper-y, literally. I didn't get to observe the architecture for long because the guard shoved me along. I was lead into a room that was completely white, probably neutralized like the detention room in Sky High. The guard uncuffed my and lifted up my right arm. The neutralizer was blindingly white – like a new iPod – and the size of a small wrist cast. He scanned his biometrics along it's length and it unclicked and fell into his open hand. The guard, left me a bag and exited the room.

Being neutralized was like being an insomniac. You feel constantly tired and drained, now that the neutralizer was off I felt like all the energy it had suppressed was just building and up and was now released; It felt like when Gen got me high. My powers naturally searched and I could feel the emotions of those around me. I could immediately tell that in the room beside this one held several people, all were nervous with anticipation, confirming my beliefs that they hoped I wouldn't be as useless as Lash and Speed, and could actually tell them something useful, like where Gwen was.

Had the really expected to be able to transport Gwen in a vehicle across town so she could be held in the Prison for Cunning and Callous Villains? The woman was a technopath; that car was her chariot.

I might as well change now, I picked up the bag and took out the supersuit I had fashioned not three months ago. All ASPI trials were conducted in 'anonymity' which was bull because everyone knew the secret identity of everyone else after being part of the hero community for that long. They would all know my civilian name, even if I didn't know or recognize all of theirs. But it was the process, mostly to protect my friends and family. Not that I cared, all my friends knew I was going villain and silently supported me, and my family consisted of foster parents – they could be replaced. As soon as I put on my blood red suit I felt different. It might have been the spandex that showed the muscles Boomer had mercilessly crafted into every student or it might have been tubes branching across the suit to make it look like veins were running across my body but I felt powerful. Before I had been Lily Travers, nobody. Now I was Coronary, criminal mastermind.

* * *

There were five retired heroes sitting behind a table on a raised platform questioning me. There was an empathy in a trance to my left, a guard at the door, and principal powers to my right sitting on a bench with two social workers.

I turned my attention back to the old fogies as they were preparing their round of questions. My arm kind of itched but I didn't want to scratch it, not in front of them while I was all wired up to the polygraph.

The one in the middle in the green black suit, his face concealed with a mask, spoke up, "Presiding over the questioning of Coronary is the Jury Distinct 4a, Thunderiders."

Brilliant. Disgusting. I was being overseen by a jury of _sidekicks._ Retired sidekicks at that, how demeaning. The Thunderiders were really big, or as big as a group of misfits losers can get, in the 1980's. They channelled their powers into an unsuspecting person who turned into this motorcycle riding 'Marauder' who was the actual hero. Why they never just got up and fought themselves always escaped me.

Wolf seemed to be the one leading this, began to ask me questions.

"We'll start simple, how old are you?"

"Eighteen" I responded.

"What did you do the night of your Homecoming dance?" He asked.

"I aided the villain Royal Pain in her attempt to turn the school to babies."

"Why did you help Royal Pain?"

"Because I am an angsty teenager with no sense of morality---" I answered with a smirk, before Honcho cut me off.

"Stop," he commanded, "Do you know where Royal Pain is now?"

"No." At this they exchanged more paper notes with each other and glances than they had before. I saw the empath give them a quick nod.

Wolf took over again, "Do you regret aiding the villain Royal Pain?"

"No."

"Would you like to go back to school?"

That question threw me way off. No one had asked me that yet and I hadn't even considered it till now. I assumed that Gen would need help wherever she was, but till she sent for me I wasn't really sure what I was going to do. I guess I assumed that I would be on the run or something, or in prison.

"I uh... I hadn't given it any thought." Wolf nodded satisfied and gestured for Principal Powers to continue. She stood up and walked briskly over to me, nodded at the jury, and turned to me.

"Lily Travers," she said this like she as sentencing me, "The faculty at Sky High are very disappointed with your actions. You are a very bright girl and until now you had a spotless record. The students and staff feel betrayed by the actions of you, and your fellow classmates who aided Royal Pain in her attempt to Pacify the school. However, unlike your companions you displayed no violent tendencies," I smirked, it had actually gone in my favour that they found me all jacked up on drugs? Brilliant.

"-- and have cooperated throughout the proceedings with all law enforcement individuals proving that you are not lost to the heroic cause. It may very well be that you have been misguided and as your educator it is my job, and responsibility as a powered member of the community to help you find your way back onto the _right_ _path _to lead the heroic journey we believe you are capable of. In lieu of your past behaviour and lack of indiscretions the students and staff are willing to offer you a chance at rehabilitation and welcome you back to Sky High with open arms. However Ms. Travers, this opportunity is not to be taken lightly. Trust is fundamental in every aspect of a hero's life and it must be built and earned, you will have to re-earn that trust from the members of Sky High. As well, you will be under constant supervision and will have strict probation and curfew rules should you choose to accept. You will also be required to put in community work as part of your rehabilitation. Do you accept the terms?"

The choice seemed pretty easy and straight forward at the time. Life behind bars or probation and community service? I think I will...

"I'll take it"

* * *

**AN: So what did you think? Did you like it? Standard disclaimer applies. I only own Lily. **


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2. **

It was Tuesday morning and I was sitting in Power's office with Coach Boomer. Powers was currently in the process of letting everyone know that I was coming back to finish my senior year, as of today. Apparently yesterday they had had some group therapy stuff when she had gotten back to school after my hearing and had let them know of the possibility of my arrival the next day. She had hoped by giving them all that advance notice they wouldn't tear me to shreds on site.

I thought it was pretty pointless for me to be sitting here, especially with Boomer. Didn't he have some egos to crush or cars to drop on unsuspecting children this morning?

"Lily, David." Powers said upon her entering. She gave a nod to Boomer he got up and proceeded to exit the office. I smirked to myself, _David_, I wonder what I could do with that?

"Well Miss Travers, that went as expected. While the students are not thrilled with your presence they will make any move to harm you. Rest assured, you will be safe here." She shot me a small smile. There was something about the look in her eyes that I didn't quite like.

"I believe that now would be a good time to go over the conditions of the contract that you have signed." She shuffled some papers on her desk.

I sat up straighter in my chair, "conditions? I thought we went over them yesterday, or you went over them yesterday."

"No no, there are a few pertaining to your continuing education that would only be relevant once you agreed to come back." I grimaced, I should have known there was more stuff I had to do. No way, they were going to let a would-be villain off that easy.

I started at her warily and nodded indicating for her to continue.

"Well, naturally, we couldn't have you using your powers here. It's a rather big risk we're taking letting you back, and we can't take the chance that you might use your powers to persuade the student body and faculty thereby continuing whatever Royal Pain had planned." I gaped at her. This was completely unbelievable! She didn't seem to notice my reaction, or pretended not to because she kept going, "we deliberated over a variety of methods for power reduction, but after seeing how nicely the neutralizers were working for you in prison we acquired one from the ASPI offices—"

"You what? Are you trying to tell me that to finish school I have to wear a neutralizer all day, because if that's the deal, it's off! I'm not wearing –"

"Yes Miss Travers that is deal," She said in a stern voice, "And there will be no arguing about it as you have already signed a contract, unless you want to go back to jail?" She lifted her skinniest eyebrow at me.

I had the chairs arms in death grips as I glared at her while shaking my head. No, I did not want to go back to jail.

She smiled wider this time, and leaned back in her chair with the satisfaction of someone who knew they had power over another. She would have made a good villain, I thought, certainly vindictive enough.

"Very good. But as I was saying before, you will be wearing the neutralizer for the entire period of you schooling up until you graduate. Twenty four hours, seven days a week. After that you will be on a half year's probation. One slip up and you are on power constraints. Am I clear?"

"Crystal" I answered glaring.

"As well, there is the issue of supervision. The staff will be watching over your behaviour and actions throughout all your actions at school, however there was the issue of out of school supervision. After a discussion with you social workers we decided to revoke your independent living status."

Fear coursed through me at these words. They couldn't possibly be thinking of sending me back to my family could they? That was a deal breaker. I wouldn't go. Those country hicks didn't understand anything about super-powers, they had sent me to an asylum when I got mine and I wasn't at the point of forgiving and forgetting. I don't think I would ever be at that point.

"You will be boarding with a student and their family, after the generously offered to take care of you."

I was about to retort with 'I don't need anyone to take care of me' but she was giving me that stern look again as if she already knew what I was going to say.

"Which kid?"

"It was our luck, that the students we had chosen to guide you were more than willing to help you after we explained the situation." I rolled my eyes and looked down to my lap. That was a blatant lie and I didn't need my empathy powers to tell me that. What she really meant was she had a sit down with them and their families and she had a hard fought conversation where she co-erced them into being my baby sitters. The possibilities of who she was referring to were unappealing. Like I said before there were _a lot_ of senior heroes that were closet Gwen followers. Those who weren't were social pariahs. Warren Peace, case in point – he was such a disappointment especially since he has the lineage for it.

"Those students have demonstrated he ability to overcome boundaries, look past differences, and build team morale. It was these qualities that caused them to be successful in their act to save the school from the hands of Royal Pain. I am referring to William Stronghold, Layla Williams, Warren Peace, Zachary Braun, Ethan Daniels, and Magenta Vitz."

My jaw literally dropped. She wanted Stronghold's nerd herd groupies to babysit me?

"What?" I screeched, "Their... they are not even _heroes_! How can you expect me to spend all my time with _freshman sidekicks_?"

"Miss Travers might I remind you that Mr. Peace is a senior like yourself, and that you are not in the position to be judging someone's capability as a hero, moreover their place as a hero" She responded sharply.

I shut my face and gritted my teeth red-faced. "So, how does this work then?" I ground out.

"It has been arranged that all of your classes will be Mr. Peace, you will be his partner for all school projects henceforth. Because of your powerless condition you will be excused from Save the Citizen and Power Development. You will eat lunch with the students I have mentioned, you will catch the bus with them, and you will study with them. You are prohibited form social contact outside of that group unless it is with them present and with their _permission_. One member of the group must be present with you at all times. All these terms have been made clear to them as well."

She pushed some sheets toward me with addresses and times on them.

"For your community service you will be assisting Coach Boomer with all of his gym activities during your excused time from Save the Citizen and Power Development. As for your living arrangements Mr Braun and his family have extended their hospitality to you."

This was going to be hell. All my free time was spend either with Boomer or the sidekicks. I wasn't sure who I despised more right now: Powers, Boomer, or the sidekicks.

And to top it off I had gone from living in my very own studio apartment to shacking up with the night light.

* * *

I flexed my hand, before we had left her office she had called Medulla in to strap the neutralizer on me. It was white like the walls of the detention room and because I was wearing a t-shirt it made my normally average skin look like I had a dark tan. I might as well get used to it since I'd be wearing it till Grad.

Maybe I could use it to my advantage, it was clear marker of villainy, something to inspire terror or intimidate perhaps? As an empath I had enough experience with emotions to know, even without my powers, how to read them, fake them, or provoke them. Misery was a state of mind; there had to be a way for me to work this situation to my advantage.

It was lunch time now and I was being escorted to the Cafeteria doors where I was supposed to meet my pseudo-jailers. It was starting to feel like jail, except with all the gross toilets, leering men, and general state of vileness.

Powers stopped and I turned to look at her. She seemed like she was appraising me and what she saw was not good. It felt like for a moment she was about to reach out and say something, like she wanted to comfort me. But at the last moment she thought better of it met my gaze and walked away briskly.

I turned back toward the double set of blue doors and entered. There was silence that descended around me. If I hadn't been able to guess that they had all been talking about me before I was definitely able to say that now with conviction.

The silence was only punctuated with the scrape of a few chairs and some shuffling. Everyone wanted to get a look at me like I was the new star attraction at the circus. Some caged predatory animal; dangerous but restrained. Had they never seen a villain before?

Well I wasn't just going to stand there, I spotted the table at the very back –just my luck - because the neon kid was glowing so brightly you could see it in the afternoon light. I can't believe I'd have to live with that.

As I made my way to the table I ignored most of the looks of betrayal, disgust, curiosity till I passed by a table where no one from the group was glaring at me. A few nodded to acknowledge me, a silent show of support, and some smiled.

My peers, the senior heroes. Regardless of what Powers said I knew that I would find a way to get alone with them to talk. Warren probably wouldn't keep that close of an eye on me anyways, all I would have to do is stroke that fiery temper.

As I would pass people the noise would pick up in my wake. The gossip and the whispers. Oh well, I would have to live with this now, but at least only till graduation. Thank God I was a senior.

When I finally got to the back table I unceremoniously sat and joined them. I placed myself at the very end – Warren's end, I wasn't sitting by no freshman sidekick – and tried to physically distance myself as much as I could from them by half turning to face the wall.

Greenpeace or whatever the hell her name was looking at me expectantly and then at the others. When it became clear no one was going to break the ice she opened her mouth. I bet she was just giddy with the idea of extending the proverbial olive branch to poor misguided me.

"Hi!" She said over enthusiastically, "I got some lunch for you since Principal Powers told us you'd get here late. I wasn't sure what you liked so I got you a bit of everything." She pushed a tray loaded with a variety of the cafeteria's best or worst on it. Hmm, no Hero Subs though.

I looked over the Greeny. Wearing a lot of green – hence the nickname, only eating a salad. Vegan? No, she has a glass of milk. Vegetarian? Let's find out.

I shot her a small and unsteady smile, didn't want to overdo it. And turned the face the table. Reaching forward I pulled the tray full of food towards me and lifted to fork to stab a small cut of steak.

"Wow, that's really nice of you...?"

"Layla" she beamed, clearly thrilled that I wasn't as bad as everyone had pre-perceived me to be.

"Well thanks Layla. I notice you didn't pick up much for yourself though." Stretching my arm across the table I thrusted my fork over her plate and deliberately waved it in the air in front of her face till the piece of steak deposited in the middle of her salad serving.

She looked absolutely horrified and dropped her smile and fork. Stronghold crushed his fork in his hand and opened his mouth the berate me. At my side I could feel warmth wash over me as Warren powered up.

I smiled serenely and licked my fork. Perhaps this wouldn't be so bad after all.

* * *

**AN: Seriously, three chapters and no reviews? Not to sound full of it, but I've read worse stories here that had more reviews for the first chapter... I'm severely disappointed. **

**Should I even continue?**

**Standard Disclaimer applies.**


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3.**

Layla reached over and grabbed Stronghold's hand, presumably giving it a squeeze, or as much squeeze as you can give to someone who has super strength of course. At the same time she gave Warren a meaningful look and he powered down immediately. Whipped much?

I audibly scoffed and Warren gave me a dirty look, "So if she says jump, how high can you go Warren?"

As he opened his mouth to respond Greenpeace cut him off, "look, I know we aren't friends or anything, but we're all going to be hanging around each other till graduation. Can't we at least be civil?" The short amount of time it took for her to forgive me and regain her cheery disposition was disconcerting.

"No, we can't. I don't associate people like you." I spat, and shovelled some steak into my mouth to make a point.

"People like what, exactly?" an Asian girl in purple asked from the end of the table. They were all leaning in now to take part in the conversation, and I could sense some nearby tables attempting to eavesdrop as well.

"People who save kittens from trees."

Stronghold caught my eye and spoke up, "So, what's wrong with that? At least we don't try to turn people into babies. We might save kittens from trees sometimes, but we also save people. We're heroes it's what we do."

I was seething, how he dared to speak to _me_ as if he had more experience than me. I was being the good guy before he was even in this school. I'd been on both sides, I knew what a hero was and what a villain could be, I'd been there.

"You think you know what it takes to be a hero freshman?" I directed my comments to the entire group, "you have no idea. You beat Speed, Penny, and Lash – big deal."

"We beat them fairly, and if we would have known we would have taken you down a couple pegs too." Warren said menacingly.

"Six on three is your idea of fair? I take it back, maybe you are heroes after all. It's all spandex, capes and victory for you. "

With the exception of Warren they all squirmed in their seats - not comfortable with the facts of their victory. It had evidently not crossed their minds that their fight had been tipped in their favour; they were too busy revelling in the glory of being victorious to notice.

"What would you know about being a hero?" he asked.

"Warren!" Layla chastised.

I gave her a side glance, I could hold my own. I didn't need some freshman defending me. "Only about the same amount you would know about being a villain." I responded coolly.

Warren's eyes narrowed, we both knew I was treading into a touchy subject. He slammed his hand on the table right by my food tray and lit it up. I could smell the plastic table beginning to burn.

"Don't think you know anything about me, or what I do and do not know. Villains are scum, they are cowards who are too scared to play by the rules, to fight for what's right." He snarled.

"You know that sounds a bit rehearsed Peace, I'm getting the feeling I may not have been the first person to hear this little tirade?" I questioned. He retracted his hand and stood up. He knew I had him and wasn't about to respond to my provocations.

As he zipped up his bag I got up and pretended to check my nails. "Your original audience was Daddy perhaps?"

That did it. I didn't even have time to react as he swung his fist back and let it connect with my jaw. He got in another good punch to my gut while I was reeling from the first hit. The second sent me falling to the floor.

The freshman jumped from their table as did the rest of the cafeteria who eagerly formed a circle around us. They were looking for a show, for a little vengeance – If they couldn't get at me they were happy to allow Warren to.

"Hitting an unsuspecting neutralized girl? Is that what passes for a hero Peace?" I spat at him, and he made to advance to my spot on the floor.

Layla stepped in front of me, "Enough!" she bellowed.

I propped myself up on my arms to see the sidekicks holding back Peace by his arms. He shrugged them off and after sending me a baleful glare he slowly made his way through the disappointed crowd. It didn't escape me that none of the teachers had come to stop our would-be fight, much less come and see what all the commotion was all about. The staff room was next door after all.

The lunch bell rang and the onlookers began to drift away to their lockers and classes, the cafeteria slowly emptying out. The sidekicks and I had yet to move. I was more than sore now and from similar experiences in Save the Citizens I knew the worst of it would come tomorrow with the bruises. I still had an image to maintain so I tried to look dignified as I slid myself over to lean against the legs of the table.

Stronghold ran a hand through his hair, probably still processing what had happened. The sidekicks were staring at me like I was crazy. As if they hadn't thought it already.

The Orange Kid broke the silence, "we should go guys. The warning bell will sound soon." The group muttered agreement and gathered their stuff before leaving. I wasn't sure what transpired between Will and Layla because her back was still turned to me, but she stayed after they had gone.

Turning around to face me with her hands on her hips she sighed and reached down offering me help up. Despite my better judgement I was obstinate and unwilling to accept the help of the freshman, even if she wasn't one of the sidekicks.

I brushed her hand away and with my face composed I pulled my self up using the cafeteria table for support.

"Do you need to see the nurse?" She asked.

"No."

She let out a small strained laugh and gave me this look. It was pitiful. Why would she pity me?

"Do you have a death wish?"

"Maybe, but certainly not for myself." I grabbed my food tray and tossed it in the trash before heading for the doors. She quickly caught up with me and slowed down to match my limping stride. I took it as a small favour that she didn't make any snide comments or demand I see the nurse.

"Where are you headed? You know you can't go anywhere without one of us."

"I'm going to find Warren." I heard her snort and I couldn't help but smirk. When I looked at her there was a small smile playing at her lips and she was shaking her head.

"To apologize?" Her tone was sarcastic. Sarcasm would have been the last quality I would have attributed to the earnest hippie. She surprisingly seemed like the least neurotic person in the group.

"We have class." I answered in a saccharine tone.

"He'll be in Mad Science right now, in the lab room in the West Wing." I looked at her surprised. She wouldn't meet my glance and continued to stare straight ahead. Two could play like that, besides if I was going to be saddled with their presence for the next few months I might as well make an alliance with someone. Maybe in time, I could even turn them into villains, my own personal band of minions. I could be the new Gwen.

In a serious tone I added, "Thanks."

She stopped in her tracks as I hobbled off.

* * *

I hobbled my way to the door of the lab and took a minute to compose myself. I didn't want to let anyone get the impression that I was injured. Now that I was powerless, and almost defenceless against the Hero population of the school I was pretty open to attack regardless of what Powers had told me. I wasn't about to let my defences fall and give people the impression they could hurt me. If they thought I could survive Warren, then perhaps they'd believe that any damage they'd attempt to do to me would be pointless. 

I didn't bother to knock because I didn't want to attract attention to my entrance and let everyone notice the slight hobble I couldn't cover up. I think he actually might have shoved around some ribs, damn pyro.

As I slid into the open seat next to Warren he paid me no attention and I was able to feel the relief of no longer having to support myself. Uncharacteristically, Medulla continued with his lecture sparing me just a brief glance, no inquisition on why I was tardy or jibes, thankfully.

"And now you and your partner may begin to assemble your ray with the provided pieces. Unsuccessful attempts will result in a failing grade." Ugh, he was such a sadist ever since he fell in that toxic dump that made his brain huge. Good thing he wasn't born like that, I would have felt sorry for his mother.

I turned to Warren and chirped exuberantly, "Hey Partner!" If I couldn't escape his presence I'd at least make this as bad for him as it was for me.

He grunted in response and pulled a tub of mechanical parts towards him. He had begun to fumble with the parts and forcefully try to attach the trigger to the pointer. Incompetent I thought, then again as I looked around the other students seemed to have as much trouble as him. I hadn't been in any classes with him before, my partner for all projects had been Gwen or Lash, and we always finished early using the remaining class time for gossiping or plotting.

Sighing I reached out an expectant hand and he turned to me. He was unwilling to verbally communicate so he just stared and I attempted to lift one of my eyebrows in what I hoped was a condescending look. I had never gotten a hold of the eyebrow thing.

He grudgingly shoved over the tray of parts and ten minutes later I had a fully assembled stun ray in front of me. I was running my hands over its casing, it was quite magnificent. Sleek, capable, deadly-ish. Warren was staring at me with something that wasn't disgust or hatred for once, admiration.

"How'd you do that so quickly?" He asked.

"When you spend three years being the lab partner of a great techno-path you pick up a thing or two." I responded. At my mention of my villainous past associations he turned away from me again and put his head on his arms. He was writing something in a notebook, what it was I couldn't tell. Strange, I had never pictured him as the Starbucks-novelist type.

I put my head down on the desk as well and willed the time to pass faster. If I could have any power it would be time manipulation. I'd love to be able to jump into the past and change the future, or present situation. I'd like to change this situation more specifically.

Bored, I began to watch the people around me. There was still the majority of the hour left in the period and my bumbling new classmates had yet to finish their rays. Medulla was walking around supervising, making the snide comment when necessary. He went up and down the rows till he spotted our table, and made a beeline for us to see why we had stopped working.

"Miss Travers, Mister Peace. Finished already?" He asked rhetorically, eyeing our ray gun. "Let's test this shall we."

He walked to the front of class and pulled out a jar with a single butterfly in it. "Students, attention please! Miss Travers and Mister Peace have already finished assembling their ray."

I, and I'm sure Warren could as well, felt the jealous eyes burning holes in the back of our heads.

"They are now going to test their ray to demonstrate its effectiveness, if built and utilized properly." He let the butterfly out of the jar, and that was our cue to get it. Warren made no move to reach for the ray, so I grabbed it and looked up. The butterfly was fluttering high above our heads. I took aim and shot it down. It inaudibly fell right on Warren's open book and startled, he knocked it to the floor.

"Well done Miss Travers, I see you shall be maintaining your 4.0 average this year." Medulla praised. Warren looked at me astonished, he mouthed '_4.0?'_ and I grinned like the Cheshire cat. Probably the main reason they had let me back, aside from Gwen, I was the star pupil of this school.

"Although next time I assign partner work, do try and let Mister Peace have a few attempts at building it himself. We can't have him graduating on your good grades." Medulla snickered.

"I'll do my best." Warren picked up his notebook and put his head on his desk again. We fell into silence for the rest of the period, again.

* * *

**AN: Wow thanks for all the reviews guys, they really gave me the motivation to finish this chapter. I know I'm pretty terrible at spelling, and grammar, but I've tried to give this chapter a decent look-over and I hope that it's significantly better than the previous ones in that area. Also, sorry for the 10 day wait! I had a bunch of homework to contend with.**

**To Rakurai San: Thanks! & to Anon: Thank you as well. Yeah, in the movie I always wondered why they didn't all just rush Royal Pain at once. They didn't have the excuse of being panicked, since they're in a school being trained not to, and because she can only pacify one person at a time it would have been easy for the entire gymnasium to sub-due her. As for the living situation, there was almost no way I could have her boarding with Warren and not have a 'ship develop. Also, it seems natural that he would not want to associate with a villain in any way for obvious lineage reasons. **


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4.**

The second day at school was one that I had self dubbed "slacker day" for myself. Every second day at Sky High the morning was filled entirely by one period, for the senior heroes it happened to be Save The Citizen which I was indefinitely excused from. Preparing myself for an hour of spectatorship I dumped my bag on the nearest bleacher and stretched out. This didn't seem so bad either, Save The Citizen was never quite my cup of tea given that I was lacking in the offensive powers department. The most I could do as drive people crazy and it was more entertaining to secretly give Boomer mood swings than to practice on my peers.

I closed my eyes and tilted my head back, relaxing. My eye lids were lit up an orangey-pink by the overhead lights, till a shadow overcame them. I my eyes squinted open to see what the disturbance was and I got a front row view of Boomers too tight shorts. Ew. He was towering over me and bent down to speak, sticking his butt up in the air. I _almost_ felt worse for the people behind me. Almost.

"TRAVERS" he bellowed. There was a terribly ringing in my ears, I think I lost the ability to hear a few decibels of sound.

"Yes sir?"

"Why are you taking up space in my gymnasium?"

"Uh... I don't know?" What else did he expect me to do? I wasn't allowed to go anywhere without Warren, and as much as I resented it I was not stupid enough to break the rules on my first day of class.

"Report to Mr. Boy Travers, and make it snappy! This school does not run on your schedule."

And with that I was escorted out of the gym and into a predicament. Warren had not followed me out of the gymnasium and if I was caught out by myself then I should get used to idea of myself in orange. Also, I had no idea who the hell this 'Mr. Boy' was. The name almost sounded a bit perverted... I knew Boomer got a real kick out of punishing students and watching them get beaten down/humiliated so the idea that I was supposed to find some guy with a pimp name made it seem like Boomer had set me up more than anything else.

I stood outside the doors to the gymnasium wondering exactly what I should do when some skittish old guy walked up to me. He was wearing a blue and yellow sweater vest and khaki slacks, I instantly knew he was a teacher and was shocked that I hadn't met him before.

"Excuse me miss, are you Lilly Travers?" he asked, staring at me with a skeptical eye. It was almost as if he had expected me to be labeled 'criminal' for his easy identification.

"Yes," I responded icily. So typical, only my name was famous, half the people here wouldn't be able to recognize me from the next senior hero. Unlike, Gwen I still had to carve a face for myself here.

"Well then, Coach Boomer called me down, said you were on your way headed over to my room and I thought I'd show you the way." He gestured for me to follow him as he started heading in an unfamiliar direction.

"So what exactly are we going to be doing in your, uh, room?" I asked warily.

He looked at me surprised, "Didn't anyone tell you? You will be aiding in my Sidekick Power Development and Weapons Training Classes."

"Excuse me?"

* * *

Mr. Boy had set me up in front of the freshman sidekick class and asked me to introduce myself, I think my facial expression might have given him a hint of what I may have been about to say, because he decided to do the job for me. As he introduced me to the class, which was fairly small, I saw most of the kids looking distinctly intimidated or curious, only one pair of eyes differed. It was the purple girl from lunch. Her eyes met my gaze and she gave me a hard glare. I wasn't quite sure what I had done to offend her so much besides trying to turn her into a baby.

It bothered me that I cared so much about how my peers perceived me. Why should I care? The reality was the majority of my graduating class would be sidekicks, who would pose no threat to me what-so-ever. Heroes were few and far between, even in powers were passed down through lineage they usually got diluted somewhere so some kid ended up with a lame version of their parents power. Because heroes were so rare, it reasoned that we would all think we were above everyone else.

The majority of heroes that sky high produced did behind the scenes work, or were only famous in the locale that they were assigned too, few made international headlines like The Commander and Jetstream. The job of the more public heroes mostly consisted of looking good and giving citizens something to believe in. Many of the students that were at this school wouldn't ever put anything of theirs on the line for a complete stranger if they couldn't brag about it for weeks after, they didn't care about saving people. Maybe it was this hypocrisy that bothered me; the fact that I was being looked down on for refusing to follow a system that most people didn't even believe in, much less choose.

This brought me back to an idea that had kept popping in and out of my head since I knew I was coming back Sky High. With Gwen currently AWOL the position for sheep herder was open. Regardless of how much they disliked me they couldn't argue with logic, if I could find a way to twist their hero logic on them, then maybe I could subtly convert them to the villainy side, my side...

"Okay everyone, you are in your groups and you have your equipment so you may begin to practice now." Mr. Boy called out. He looked over and me and gestured for me to circle around like he was. At least this way I could look like I was helping while actually minimizing my interaction with the sidekicks, I wouldn't need them to take over the world. Then again, they would probably be the easiest group to convince since they could be so effortlessly tempted by promises of power that had been previously withheld from them.

Once again, my thoughts strayed to the purple girl. If I could get her then I could use not only for the other sidekicks, but eventually for Stronghold, the ultimate recruitment. I'd be doing exactly what Gwen was, except more sneaky, I'd be taking over the place from the inside out.

The room showed the clear dichotomy between the hero track and the sidekick. While the Hero class would practice in the gymnasium with state of the art equipment he sidekicks were in the basement of the school practising on a dirt floor with gym mats laid out sporadically, and had to dig their protective gear out of a worn bin to the side. The lighting was dim, and frequently flickered giving the room the appearance of a cave or hideout, than a classroom.

As I walked around and observed the sidekicks it struck me at how good at hand to hand combat they actually were. Granted, the moment I stepped within 5 meters of a group they'd freeze up and withdraw but within themselves they could put up a fight. The most striking observation was when I saw that purple girl.

_Lunge, lunge, feint, strike._

She had good form but she was far too aggressive; an almost perfect foil for her partner who I recognized as that Zach kid who I was staying with. This brought unpleasant memories of a sunshine yellow house and a white picket fence from the day before. Thankfully I had managed to avoid him, and his family who I assumed would be just as heroically decrepit by shutting myself into the room I was given and immediately falling asleep. I could only hope to be so lucky again after school today.

My focus shifted to Zach, he was dodging, ducking, and not much else, he actually seemed to not want to hit her at all. I scoffed, I hoped he knew that statistically, on the off chance he was partnered with a hero on active look-good-for-the-cameras-and-save-someone duty that he would be in the position requiring him to hit a girl, since there was a starling amount of females villains in comparison to males - hell hath no fury and all that. I couldn't begin to fathom his reluctance to actively fight back, especially since his partner seemed more than eager to beat him into a bloody pulp. Some group tension? Perhaps this would be a good opportunity for myself to pound into the little divisions that had formed in Stronghold's group.

As if I needed any other reason Mr. Boy strode amiably up to me, within the last hour or so his fear of me had dramatically decreased. I wondered if it was because he was always this cheerful and optimistic, or just an idiot. Whatever the reason, I resented him for it. What good was my homecoming stunt if people were going to look past it within days? I recalled the purple girl and her glare, hoping that at least some people knew how to hold a proper grudge.

"You know, you are able to assist the students in this class, maybe you could work with Zach." He suggested.

Damn. I had been setting my sights on teaching a lesson to the purple girl, it would be interesting at the least to see how I would fare in a battle where I could manipulate an opponents fears and desires to my advantage. Her blood lust and training versus my expertise? I still think I would come out on top.

Mr. Boy made a waving motion with his hand Zach and Magenta broke apart. Magenta gave me dirty look as she shrugged off her wrist gloves and threw them at then joined the growing number of sidekick spectators. I had a feeling that I knew who they would all be rooting for.

"Okay kids we have a special demonstration by our new teaching aid." Boy called out, "Lilly will demonstrate hand to hand combat with Zach. Now the rules are hold down, or tap out. No knock outs here, and keep it clean you two." He said this last bit with a pointed look in my direction. I smirked, maybe not so forgettable after all. I slipped on the gloves, and walked up to Zach. Disappointed he didn't balk he took his stance but sent a curious look my way.

"Look I know Will told me you guys fight with powers in your classes, I am kind of the best at this... I don't really want to hurt you. You can back out now." He said this all under his breath, as if he were trying to spare my feelings. I was more than insulted by his offer, there were so many things wrong with it. His assumption that _he_ would be able to beat _me _was somewhat ridiculous. What really took the cake though, was that he seemed completely sincere in his offer, like I was the type of person to back out of a fight.

"Didn't seem that way to me when I watched you get mopped by that girl before." I retorted. He screwed up his face and shook his platinum hair. Offer retracted.

Mr. Boy was instructing the class that this was a bipartisan event and there as going to be a zero tolerance level of booing and jeering for me. Naturally, as soon as he stepped aside and waved an arm down for us to begin, the booing and jeering started. Perhaps Zach really was the best in the class, I doubted that had I been a regular students he would have deserved the amount of fanfare he was receiving if he wasn't.

All the jeering did nothing to affect me, the sounds were neutralized in my head. Similar to swimming, you can't hear what is not in the water. Zach clearly thought I possessed a limited mental capacity since he took a defensive stance immediately expecting me to spring at him, which would have been a beginner's mistake. I just smiled sweetly, and sway on spot, I lifted my arms and position them like a boxer would at the beginning of a fight. Tricking him into thinking I was an amateur was going to be half the fun, the rest would come when he was lying on his back. The crowd fell for my theatrics as they began to bob and scream "G_et her! Get her!"_ at Zach, the circle of bodies moved in closer to form a human barrier, enclosing us in a ring. I wonder if this is what all 'demonstrative matches' were like, or if the set-up was explicitly for my benefit.

Zach had tired of waiting and began to advance towards me, since I as already a little bruised I thought I'd let him get a little in. I was completely taken a back when he got in more than a little. Faster than I thought possible he struck the left side of my head, a semi-hard strike since he use the side of open hand, and again on the left, two quick hits and he sprang. He caught my neck in the crook of his elbow and his legs swept mine off the floor, he released me so I spin onto my ass. I stuck out my leg and land gracefully in a crouch then straightened back into my swaying position. This time when he advance towards me I caught his arms and pulled him forward, when his body was flush against mine I elbowed him hard in the ribs and felt him gasp for air then I spun him in the same moved he failed to execute earlier. When he got up I advanced he raised his arms to cover his chest but I got a two good right hooks in at his jaw before I twisted to kick at him, he dodged by ducking and I landed my foot and swung my arm out. The last blow knocked him on his back to the crowd. They began to help him up but he waved them off and smacked his fist on the mat. Tap out.

Our spectators quickly dispersed into their practicing groups, doing more gossiping than practicing I was sure. Mr. Boy dismissed Zach and I to the showers, by the time I was ready to come out the class was being dismissed and I meandered my way over to Zach and Magenta who had already began to ascend the stairs to the upper levels. His damp hair fell into his eyes and I see the beginnings of a bruise on his jaw line. I had could tell a huge bump would form on my head, and already I could feel a killer headache coming on. The couple in front had their heads ducked together conversing, a far different sight than their sparring match earlier. Hmm couple? I wondered. As I pondered the romantic ties of sidekicks the purple one turned her head toward me, but this time she wasn't glaring, more assessing. She looked like she was taking inventory of all my strengths, weaknesses... I smiled condescendingly despite the acute pressure building behind my left eye and then shoved through the two and ahead of them, my ponytail swinging with each bounce in my step.

* * *

As I followed Warren through the halls and drifted through my afternoon classes I could catch whispers that even the Senior Heroes had caught onto about my sparring session. I found extremely entertaining that the rumours spanned such a large scale of accuracy. Clearly some of the information had not been passed on by an eye witness.

_Look there she is!_

_I heard she beat that sophomore to a pulp._

_Can't have been that hard, he was _just_ a freshman  
_

_No way, he hangs with Stronghold, he helped take down Grayson._

_Do you think I could take her?_

I was able to maintain a cheerful attitude for the rest of my classes. There was nothing more empowering than coming out on top of a fight. This was just as good as Save the Citizen, in some ways better even.

My good mood lasted till I was climbing off the bus off the bus with Zach he bid the nerd herd goodbye, and I learned the name of that purple clad girl, Magenta. As we walked to his house I could see him blatantly staring at me out of the corner of his eye.

"Do have something you'd like to say, sidekick?" I asked coolly.

"Look, that thing in Power Development? Don't let it get to your head. I was just taking it easy on you." He smiled an lop sided grin at me, and reached out to tug on my ponytail. I ducked away from his hand.

What the hell? Who was he to tell me what I could and could not let into my head, I fumed. Maybe he needed a repeat of today's class before we got to his house. As if he knew what I was thinking he picked up his stride hurrying to his house. As we neared it I spotted no car in his doorway, thank you for small miracles, his parents weren't home. I had no problems beating him within the walls of that yellow monstrosity he called a house so I allowed him to lead me through the gate, up the path, and past the doorway.

Once inside his house I made my intentions clear, "do you really think that I couldn't beat _you_?"

"Look I don't want to get into it okay?" He deposited his bag by the door and I did the same before following him through the kitchen and into the den, it was pretty big, open, and perfect.

"And what if I do?"

Zach turned and we face each other, he looked at me sceptically. My hands were on my hips and my head cocked to the side, an arrogant stance.

He walked up to me and I had to look up to see his face, he was about a foot taller than me. "Why do you want to fight so badly?"

"I just want to clear you of the mistaken impression that I couldn't beat you."

He snorted. Before another word could leave my lips I was on my ass with the wind knocked out of me. Ouch. Zach leaned over me with amused eyes, once he saw I was okay he headed back towards the kitchen.

My ribs were bruising, my head was throbbing and now my pride was shattered.

"You know that wasn't a fair fight!" I whined after him.

I could hear Zach guffaw as he moved around in the kitchen.

"I thought villains didn't care" he called back.

Damn.

* * *

**A/N: Wow long time no see. Sorry about the wait, really, this chapter is inspired by Rhianna's _Disturbia_ - actually that might be the perfect songs for this entire story. So, I've done it before and I was just wondering, why do we disclaimers here? It's called _fan_fiction for a reason.**

**All the music for Oily Marks, and character pictures for both stories have been moved to my website. It's all renovated so check itout.**

* * *


	6. Chapter 5

Dinner was a strained affair. For the very first time I had met Zach's family who, unlike Mr. Boy, had not quickly gotten over my villainous tendencies. They had seated me at the round table and sat down to eat. With a smile made of daggers Zach's mother, Carolyn, had dumped serving upon serving of her roast and mashed potatoes on my plate, and then watched with an eagle eye as I robotically shoved it into my mouth. She was almost daring me to turn it way, as if rejecting her roast would have been a capital offense, comparable with my attempt at world domination.

While a large part me wanted to knock her roast down for the dog to lick up because of it, I recognized that I had to be acquiescent, just so I could stay out of prison. I didn't think anyone could fault me for it, but at the same time I had nagging feeling in the back of my mind, was this how I would be broken? Bending over and over myself to follow their rules till I wasn't breaking any at all. I bet that was how they got Peace in the end; Gwen and I used to have such high hopes for him in the beginning.

I looked around the table; no one seemed to notice the way Carolyn was trying to fatten me up. I felt like I was Gretel sans Hansel being fed mouthful after mouthful of unwanted sweets, till I got so fat and lazy that it would be my inevitable demise, his was probably how obesity become an epidemic.

Zach's younger brother smiled happily drawing faces in his food and knocking down vegetables for the dog that scuffled around his feet. Zach's father, Darren stared avidly at his plate. An apt distraction since I was sitting directly across form him (or as across as one can get at a circular table) and seemed more interested in pretending I didn't exist rather than acknowledging the fact that he was housing a criminal. I shovelled the last spoon of potatoes into my mouth and my jaw slogged open and shut, I was tired of chewing. As my gaze landed on Zach he shot his head up and winked at me.

"Wow, Lilly, you sure do like those potatoes don't you?" He said through a mouth of broccoli. Four heads of platinum blonde hair bobbed up to stare at me.

I gave the fakest smile possible, "uh, yeah, they're... great." That was apparently all the encouragement that Carolyn needed because she pulled my plate towards her and laid down four more scoops of creamy potatoes on my plate. My hand urged to smack Zach's face repeatedly into his plate till the potatoes gave him highlights was strong, and I was glad I still had my criminal creativity.

"There you go dear." It gave a whole new meaning to lying through your teeth. In fact, this was strange punishment, and was in someway, I was sure, against the Geneva Conventions.

"You're pretty" Jamie, Zach's little brother spoke up. With his dark brown eyes and unnaturally bright hair he was pretty cute, I was willing to overlook his family because of tiny little dimpled cheeks that were stained with a fain rosy blush.

"Thank you" I smiled, a genuine smile of adoration this time. If nothing else, this kid got rid of the tension. Zach and his father went back to eating, and his mother was only vaguely interested in Jamie's announcement.

"It's going to be valentine's in three months. Will you be me valentine?"

"Of course." I smiled graciously, anything for an adoring fan. This kid was going to be such a heartbreaker. It wasn't that I was going soft, I just appreciated a four year old getting his flirt on as much as the next person. Said four year old gave me a gap toothed smile.

After dinner I shuffled off to my room, where I preceded to throw myself on the bed and wish I didn't feel like a solid brick wall. My eyes began to flutter shut when I heard the soft knocks on my door and I rose and answered. Darren and Carolyn stepped into my room, they kept advancing till I had backed myself onto my bed. They stood uncomfortably in front of me for a minute before Carolyn began to speak.

"Now, we have taken it upon ourselves to let you into our care, and have graciously allowed you in the sanctity of our home and presence of our sons.

I fought the urge to snort. As if that were some special privilege, granted Jamie was pretty cool.

"While you stay here however, you will not be loafing around. We will not allow you to bring your friends into this house unless we approve of them first..."

As if I had any.

"And you must get a job, we don't let our Zach loaf about at home, and we certainly won't let you."

Darren had noticed my traitorous expression and quickly backtracked, good to know I had him bullied by my reputation alone. "We have gotten you a job at the local library, where Zach works, we don't like him to have too much free time where he can get into trouble."

Somehow I doubted that Zach had ever gotten into the kind of trouble that I had, but I appreciated his father's attempt at appeasing my temper; knowing that it was something they expected of their own child, and not just myself made me feel less singled out. Besides, it wasn't as if I had much of a choice. They continued to tell me that I would follow Zach to work, rather than home tomorrow after school, and that I would do that every time he had to go to work.

And my first day as one of worker drones began tomorrow.

* * *

`

AT the end of the next school day we boarded the bus as usual. I wondered if we would be sent to the house first, in which case I could bully Zach into letting me stay with Jamie. Unfortunately, the bus driver must have been in on the arrangement because pulled to a stop in front of the main shopping avenue of Maxville. Zach grimaced at me and gestured that I should follow as he hopped of the bus and began ambling down the sidewalk.

"So where exactly is this library?" I asked, once I had caught up with Zach.

He sent me an incredulous look, "have you really never been to the public library before Lily? To be so privileged. You know if you have so much why would you want more, what could you have possibly gained by attacking the school?"

I was not prepared for Zach's outburst. In fact, out of the "gang" I had always thought he would be the unruffled one, the mellow one who never deign to raise his voice, and here he was chewing me out on the sidewalk.

I wondered if I had offended him, maybe being to snotty in my one of voice or demanding when I asked him where we were going, but that certainly would not have warranted his outburst. Which made me think, maybe Zach kept a lot more bottled up then whether his friends or anyone else had imagined.

I was so caught up in thinking about Zach's sudden mood swing that I was barely noticed that I actually concerned about his behaviour. I shoved that thought away though as I attributed it to the desire to rather having to live with a sane roommate than a mentally unstable one.

We arrived at the library then and I had to admire its design. The red brick was accented with dark jagged stones to form the wall that was topped with a glass pyramid for a ceiling. The panes of the pyramid ranged from clear to the deepest blue and I could tell that it would glitter magnificently in the sunlight. Too bad it was a cloudy day.

Zach had already let himself in, not bothering to wait for me out of ire or embarrassment, I couldn't tell. For some reason I wanted to reassure him, but I wasn't sure how to go about it, not without coming off soft or insincere. And I desperately wanted to tell him off for assuming so much about my past. Granted, as far as he knew I was one of the more affluent students at Sky High, but it he thought it was all butterflies and daisies for me, he was sorely mistaken.

Everything I wanted to say of prove would have to wait, because as soon as I stepped foot inside the library I was accosted by a girl my age with shoulder length hair he most hideous shade of red I had ever seen.

"So, you must like, be that girl, the new one right?"

To say I took an immediate disliking to her would be an understatement.

"You'd better, uh, come with me to the stacks"

The stacks were probably the most mind numbing job there was, repeatedly shelving books, it was mixed up only by the airhead comments made by the girl, Wendy, whose presence I found completely insufferable.

She insisted on teaching the finer aspects of shelving books, when I was sure that such a thing didn't exist, and that she was shirking off her own duties onto me. I weighed the next book in my hand, _The Warriors_, and debated the merits of launching it at Wendy's head. Instead I smacked don harshly on the shelf, only a minor consolation the by the sound it made and imagine if it would be any different against her head.

"Are you like, even listening to me?" Wendy demanded, striking what I'm sure she hoped was a dramatic and intimidating pose with her arms crossed over her chest, and her hip jutting out and obscene angle.

It was enough.

"No, it's incredibly hard to listen to someone who speaks like every word is it's one sentence, uses the word 'like' as grammatical junction, and has hair the color of a candied apple!" I screamed throwing a heavy volume that narrowly missed her head.

I had expected her to be outrage, angry, march off and demand my immediate suspension or even try and fire me herself. Instead I watched as a smile creeped up on her face and he shoulders began to shake.

She was laughing? I didn't understand.

I was getting really angry, actually. I couldn't see what was so funny about it, was she not taking me seriously?

She was clutching her stomach now with the force of the bellowing laughs she was hunched over. As she slowly regained her composure she met my stare with a cold and level gaze. This was not the Wendy I had expected.

"Well?" she said in a lilting tone, completely different from the valley girl accent she had feigned before. "Honestly, Lily I was getting worried about you. This whole martyr routine is so not what promising villain should be engaging in."

Oh my goodness.

"Gwen?"

"Really why didn't you just use your powers and incapacitate me? Have you gotten soft without my instruction?"

"Gwen."

"Really Lily show some pride and stop staring at me with your mouth open like a dead fish. Gaping is déclassé."

"Gwen!"

"Lily would you shut up! People who matter might hear you." She hissed.

I couldn't believe it, but then, Gwen did escape. But here disguising herself as a worker in the public library? It just seemed too impossible to be true.

"How is this even possible?"

She shrugged daintily, "We're partners Lily remember? 'Till the very end. With everyone else in jail, who did you expect me to turn to? Besides we're best friends, aren't we?

"I've got it all worked out too, it won't be just us anymore. All you have to do is just play your part."

"My part?" What in the hell had she put together, I wondered. It was always hinted to us, her band of faithful followers that once we had Sky High there would something to expand on, after that. One more step before we could lay claim to our rewards. It seemed like this was it, that final step.

She stepped forward till she was centimetres away and painfully grasped my limp arms. Way too close for comfort, but even more eerie there was a fanatical gleam in her eyes that lit up her entire face in a completely unpleasant way.

"Do you have your powers?"

"No. And I'm constantly monitored by Stronghold's gang,"

She grimaced and then smiled, "Well I knew about the latter obviously, but the first will make your extraction a bit hard.

"Okay, this is what we're going to do I need you to be friend with Stronghold, especially his friends. You need to get in their inner circle, be buddy-buddy whatever it takes, so long as you collect for me a few samples.

"The samples are DNA bits, I don't care what kind of piece you carve out of them, as long as you get something. But it has to have their blood on it, a sizeable portion of their blood. "

The way she said it made it sound so simple, be friends, get blood. Easy, done. Oh wait, except half of them had full or partial invulnerability, how exactly was I supposed to get past that.

As if she could read my mind, Gwen smiled, and told me to be creative.

"And once you are done, come here and put in your two weeks notice. I'll get message, we'll pull you out and then you can leave this god-forsaken dump and join me. You'll be my right hand Lily, I swear it."

She looked at me expectantly, and I ran through my options quickly, as I had become accustomed to doing lately. I had no idea what exactly it was Gwen had planned, but it had to better than this, whatever it was.

Assured of my acquiescence Gwen beamed and then rushed me off saying my shift was almost over, I had to meet "that glowing boy".

She walked me to the front desk, tucked her fake hair behind her ear and sauntered off.

I waited patiently for Zach to finish up in whatever section he was in so that we could leave for the day.

* * *

`

At the house, I went to Zach's room and knocked on his door. If I was supposed to be friendly I might as well start now. Opening his door I stepped into his room.

Zach was laying on his be. His orange comforter and matching sheets were mussed. I was surprised to see a large and mostly filled bookcase that took up a good portion of his right wall. Adorning his bare walls there were posters of famous heroes. One poster caught my eye, it definitely wasn't professional but it had a well drawn outline of a man's body radiating some yellow field. In small untidy scrawl at the bottom it read "Zach Attack".

"It was a birthday present"

I looked at Zach, he had been watching me stare at his walls.

"It's nice" I commented. The poster really was cute, in a pathetic kind of way.

Turning back towards him, I met his gaze, "I didn't know you read."

Zach sighed heavily and laid his book on his chest as he collapsed on his bed. It was quiet for a minute as he stared as the ceiling.

"Was there something specific that you wanted Lily?" Zach asked in a monotonous tone.

I shifted un comfortable, there wasn't anywhere to sit except the bed so I made my way over there and perched on the very edge.

"Um, I actually wanted to tell you I was sorry... for offending you" even though I don't know how I offended you to begin with, "you know before"

Zach lifted his head to stare at me for awhile and then smiled.

"Okay"

Okay, with that accomplished I turned to leave Zach called me out.

"Have you read the _Count of Monte Cristo_ before?"

"No, I haven't, I replied."

He threw the book at me, "you should".


End file.
